Mental Health - Keeping HGV Drivers on the road.

Mental Health, It’s The Thing We All Love To Ignore Isn’t It?

It feels strange not having any physical symptoms yet calling in sick to work, you’re thinking “I’m not actually ill, what’s wrong?” then you begin to feel guilty about not being in work or you do what we’ve all done and that’s ignore it, ignore it and ignore it… until one day you can’t ignore it anymore.

At AVAIL not only do we have a duty of care to drivers, but we must also remember that HGV drivers are the lifeblood of the UK industry, and maintaining a healthy workforce is essential. But are we doing enough to keep their minds healthy?

?According to the?Health and Safety Executive (HSE), half a million workers were reported as suffering from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2020*.

The?mental health charity, MIND, reckons over 30% of significant health issues amongst drivers relate to their mental health, with stress a major factor.

There’s a stigma surrounding mental health and it needs to be challenged as the cost of human life is just far too great. In 2020 there were approximately 5,821 male suicides (16 per day) in the UK alone and as we know logistics is a heavily male-dominated sector and we think this presents a challenge (statistically) when it comes to opening and reporting the issue.

While it may be very difficult to do, talking to someone about how you feel or even just having someone sit there and listen to you for 30 minutes can make a massive difference to your day. We understand that It’s not always easy to describe how you’re feeling. If you can’t think of one word, use lots.

"What does it feel like inside your head?"

"What does it make you feel like doing? "

"Are you confused?"

You don't need to sit your loved ones or support network down for a big conversation about your wellbeing. Many people feel more comfortable when these conversations develop naturally - maybe when you're doing something together. If it feels awkward at first, give it time. Make talking about your feelings something that you do, it makes you no less of a person.?

So, if you or if you're an Operator one of your drivers you know is experiencing mental health issues here are some worthwhile?LinkedIn?pages to visit.

• Mind
• Mental Health UK
• Mental Health Foundation

We're going to say it again for the people in the back -

You are no less of a person because you admit to feeling down.

Please seek help, your family cares, your friends care, and AVAIL cares.

AVAIL - your driver solution

At AVAIL, we’re not a traditional agency, but a driver solution that matches HGV drivers with Operators for a set low fee of ￡7.50 per active driver per day all through the?AVAIL platform. Our online platform uses specially designed software that can be used anywhere at any time, the platform has just over 18,000 UK-based HGV drivers who've had their licenses checked and are insured for up to ￡10,000 negligence in the event of any damage to the vehicle.

To find out more or book in for a demo, then click here ??? ??.